Antics Aside, Terrell Owens Stands Out for His Achievements

As Sunday’s Super Bowl approached, Cam Newton defended the antics of the Carolina Panthers by pointing out that an N.F.L. play usually lasts for only four to six seconds and saying that anyone looking to judge him or his team should focus on what they do during that time, rather than being distracted by the irrelevant things that happen between plays.

One of the finalists for the 2016 class of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, who failed to gain election on his first time on the ballot, very likely knows what Newton is trying to say more than anyone else. Terrell Owens, a dominant wide receiver with a strong work ethic and a track record of consistency, still finds himself written off by many as a distraction, a head case or a prima donna — sometimes all three.

A recounting of Owens’s antics through the years certainly turns up a number of questionable and off-putting decisions, but while Brett Favre and Ken Stabler, who were both elected as part of the class of 2016, are celebrated for their colorful personalities and occasional mistakes, Owens has been criticized by many people for his. It is likely that Owens’s personality played a role when the gathered voters chose to elect Favre, Stabler, Marvin Harrison, Kevin Greene, Orlando Pace, Tony Dungy, Dick Stanfel and Edward J. DeBartolo Jr. rather than Owens, a wide receiver whose statistical résumé can be topped only by those of Jerry Rice and perhaps Randy Moss.

When he was told of the news on Saturday night, Owens took the high road on Twitter, saying: “Unfortunately I did not make it. CONGRATS to the 2016 HOF CLASS. Thanks to ALL MY FANS for ur unwavering love & support. #ONLYGODCANJUDGEME”

While many would place the blame squarely on Owens’s broad shoulders if his personality has gotten in the way of his accomplishments, a look at him as a player rather than as a person, which is the mandate given to the voters, reveals a wide receiver with few peers. When his name comes up, though, it is still often met with a great deal of vitriol. One significant detractor is Mike Martz, who coached the St. Louis Rams during Owens’s prime with the 49ers and believes that it is a travesty that Owens was even a finalist, saying that two of his receivers, Torry Holt and Isaac Bruce, should have been on the ballot instead.

Martz’s dislike for Owens allowed him to ignore the numbers. Martz claimed that Owens was getting extra credit for being colorful and that his players would be revealed to be superior if you focused on yards per catch or consistent production. In truth, Owens shines regardless of what wide receivers he is compared to. On the list of career records, he is sixth in receptions, second in receiving yards and third in receiving touchdowns, with Rice being the only player who is ahead of him in all three categories. He even had his share of playoff success, with a last-second winning touchdown reception against Favre’s Packers in 1999 and a tremendous effort in Super Bowl XXXIX, in which he had nine receptions for 122 yards despite playing with a still-healing broken leg.

His totals stand out even more when you consider that Harrison, who was elected in his third time as a finalist, put up lesser numbers despite catching passes from Peyton Manning for almost his entire career. While Owens played with Steve Young in his first few seasons, and later spent some highly productive seasons with Donovan McNabb and Tony Romo, he also found similar success with lesser quarterbacks like Jeff Garcia, Tim Rattay and Ryan Fitzpatrick. It seemed that no matter the team, scheme or defense, Owens was very likely going to get the ball into the end zone.

That Owens failed to gain election on his first try should not be all that surprising since, beyond the personality issue, the bar for election at his position is high. In recent years, a number of high-profile stars have been asked to wait a considerable amount of time before their elections. Andre Reed, who played in four Super Bowls for Buffalo, was a finalist eight times, and Tim Brown, the versatile Oakland star, and Cris Carter, the Minnesota Vikings touchdown savant, were six-time finalists. Michael Irvin, who trailed the others in terms of career statistics but was an important member of three Super Bowl-winning teams in Dallas, managed to overcome his own off-field issues to be elected in his third year on the ballot.

While Owens will have to wait at least one more season, he will likely hope that the voters of the future can heed the advice of Newton to focus on the four to six seconds when the game is being played and ignore the rest. Because if this is about football, there is no question that Owens was one of the best to play the game.

Correction:

A Keeping Score column last Sunday about the Pro Football Hall of Fame prospects of wide receiver Terrell Owens misstated, in some editions, the length of time that Marvin Harrison, another Hall of Fame finalist, played with Peyton Manning. Harrison played two seasons with the Indianapolis Colts before Manning arrived; he did not play with Manning for his entire career. The article also misstated, in some editions, the number of times that receiver Andre Reed was a Hall of Fame finalist. It was eight times, not seven. And the article misstated, in some editions, the number of years Michael Irvin was on the Hall of Fame ballot when he was elected. He was elected in his third year on the ballot, not his second.

A version of this article appears in print on , on Page SP7 of the New York edition with the headline: Antics Aside, Owens Stands Out for His Achievements. Order Reprints | Today’s Paper | Subscribe